Surgeon&#39;s gown



April 21, 1954 N. BELKIN 3,129,432

SURGEONS GOWN Filed April 23, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

NATHAN L. BELKIN ATTORNEY N. L. BELKIN SURGEONS GOWN April 21, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 23, 1962 INVENTOR. NATHAN L. BEL KIN QG- M ATTORN EY United States Patent souri Filed Apr. 23, 1962, Ser. No. 189,394 6 Claims. (Cl. 2-114) This invention relates in general to wearing apparel and, more particularly, to certain new and useful improvements in a garment adapted for wear by medical, laboratory, and like personnel.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a garment having a line of opening to the back and which incorporates unique means, readily accessible to the wearer, for maintaining the garment back in open or closed relationship.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a garment of general gown design adapted particularly for surgeons and like use, being open to the back and incorporating conveniently located securing means so that during donning and removal the services of an attendant, such as a nurse, for effecting closure and opening of the garment, would not be required.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a garment especially suitable for medical, laboratory, and like usage, but which may also be worn for general utility purposes; which may be most inexpensively fabricated; which may be readily laundered and sterilized; which is reliable and durable in usage; and the utilization of which in the field of surgery will cause marked economy in preparation time and effort.

Other objects and details of the invention will be apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing (two sheets), wherein FIGURE 1 is a front plan view of the garment constructed in accordance with, and embodying, the present invention, with the garment being unsecured in either closed or open relationship.

FIGURE 2 is a rear plan view of the garment as shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal transverse sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a horizontal transverse sectional view taken on the line S5 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 6 is a horizontal transverse sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 7 is a rear view showing the garment secured in open condition, preparatory to donning.

FIGURE 8 is a horizontal transverse sectional view taken on the line 88 of FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 9 is a rear view of the garment secured in closed, or wearing condition.

FIGURE 10 is a front view of the garment as shown in FIGURE 9.

FIGURE 11 is a horizontal transverse sectional view taken on the line 1111 of FIGURE 10.

Referring now by reference characters to the drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiment of the present invention, A generally designates a garment adapted for medical, laboratory, and like usage, and being made preferably of light, washable fabrics. Garment A, being of gown design, is preferably of shoulder-to-below the knee length, and comprises a front panel 1, which is secured on its vertical side edges, as by stitching, along side seams 2, 3, to the forward side edges of rear panels 4, 5 respectively. Although front panel 1 and rear panels 4, 5 may be designed in their shoulder portions to accommodate any well known type of sleeve desired, for

purposes of illustration only, the same are shown herein as being contoured for sewn engagement along seams, as at 6, to sleeves 7, 8 of raglan design. Said panels 1, 4, 5 at their upper ends are shaped for cooperatively defining a neck opening 9, which may be of rounded design. For purposes of simplification of description only, rear panel will be considered as an integral member, cut from a single cloth section, although, as indicated in the drawing, the same may be composed of a pair of joined constituent sections a, b, facilitating manufacture.

Along their other, or rearward side edges, rear panels 4, 5 are free so as to define a rearward line of opening 10, extending the length of garment A. Rear panel 4 is of greater width than panel 5 and thus, in wearing position extends across the vertical center line of the rear of garment A, in overlapping relation to a substantial portion of rear panel 5, and thereby obscuring line of opening 10 (see FIGURE 9). The rearward or free side edge of rear panel 4, in its upper portion, as at 11, is formed to incline upwardly and inwardly to assure, during wearing of garment A, close overlying relation to rear panel 5 for snug closure and to prevent any undesired restrictive or hampering during movement of the wearers left arm.

Provided on rear panel 4, immediately rearwardly of side seam 2 for presentation outwardly thereof is a fastener element 12 which can be mounted in position by means of a reinforcing cloth section 13 engaged within seam 2 and secured, as by stitching, to the inner face of rear panel 4 (see FIGURE 5). Also carried on rear panel 4 for presentation outwardly thereof, adjacent its free or rearward side edge, preferably proximate the lower end of the upper portion of said edge, is a cooperative fastener member 14, in horizontal alignment with fastener element 12 and for engagement therewith upon turning back of panel 4 in a doubling-over manner, with the normally inner face of panel 4 being exposed rearwardly, as may best be seen in FIGURE 7, wherein line of opening 10 is maintained in full-open condition for disposing garment A for facility of donning.

Mounted on front panel 1 for direction outwardly thereof, immediately adjacent to, and forwardly of, side seam 3, and in transverse alignment with fastener member 14, is one or more fastener elements 15, similar in all respects to fastener element 12. In the present instance, three such horizontally spaced apart elements 15 are shown, but the number thereof is entirely optional, depending upon the degree of waist adjustability desired for garment A. Fastener elements 15 are engaged upon a reinforcing strip 16 secured within side seam 3 and to the inner face of front panel 1. Said fastener elements 15 may thus be selectedly engaged by cooperative fas tener member 14 on rear panel 4 (FIGURES l0 and 11), in which condition line of opening 10 is fully closed and obscured and garment A is comfortably, yet closely, secured in wearing relation. Thus, rear panel 4 will in such state extend across the wearers back in the waist or mid-portion. By a plurality of fastener elements 15, the user may effect engagement of whichever one allows of the most desirable fit.

In view of the above, it will be seen that fastener member 14 may be engaged to fastener element 12 for maintaining the garment in full-open condition, or to a fastener element 15 for maintaining garment A in closed condition.

From the foregoing, it is quite apparent that opentothe-back garment A is uniquely designed to facilitate donning and removal by the wearer, and its unusual features are best illustrated by reference to its usage in the field of surgery. At the present time, when a surgeon dons a closed-front gown preparatory to surgery, the same must be held in position by an attendant, as a nurse, to

allow extension of his arms through the sleeves, and then the said attendant must secure the rear of the garment in closed condition, such as, most commonly, by tying a plurality of cooperative groups of tie tapes. Similar services are required for effecting removal of the garment. With the present invention, with rear panel 4- in secured, turned-back relationship, when fastener member 14 is engaged to fastener element 12, as shown in FIGURE 7, an attendant need only hold the garment to allow a surgeon to extend his arms through the sleeves. Thereupon, the surgeon (or other wearer) need only, by his right hand, disconnect fastener member 14 from fastener element 12, and by the left hand pull panel 4 coveringly across rear panel 5 and effect engagement between said fastener 14- and one of the fastener elements 15. Removal of garment A without assistance requires only the preliminary disconnecting of fasteners 14 and 15, which can be most easily effected by the wearer.

Garment A constitutes a marked advance in closedfront wearing apparel in comprising; unique securing means located so as to be readily accessible to the wearer to facilitate donning and removal, and obviating the need for tapes or other means equally inoperable by the wearer. In the medical field, the use of garment A markedly reduces preparatory time for surgeons and like personnel, as well as obviating the need for skilled attendants, who may thus devote their time and effort to more critical purposes.

Although the drawings illustrate fasteners 12, 14, and 1.5 as being of the snapfastener type, it is obvious that other effective cooperative securing means could be used, such as, for instance, buttons and buttonholes. But for medical purposes, snap-fasteners have proved desirable in view of the necessity of constant laundering and sterilizing.

It should be understood that changes and modifications in the formation, construction, arrangement, and com bination of the several parts of the surgeons gown may be made and substituted for these herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A garment comprising a front section having vertical side edges, first and second rear sections engaged to said front section along opposite side edges thereof, said first and second rear sections defining a rear line of opening, a fastener element mounted on said first rear section proximate the rear line of opening, a first cooperating fastener member carried on said first rear section spaced- 1y from said fastener element and in the region proximate the front section, and at least one second cooperating fastener member mounted on said front section proximate said second rear section, said first and second cooperating fastener mmebers being presented outwardly for selected engagement by said fastener element for respectively maintaining said rear line of opening in open and closed condition.

2. A garment as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by said fastener element and said first and second cooperating fastener members being horizontally aligned.

3. A garment as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by a plurality of said second cooperating fastener members being provided on said front section in aligned, horizontally spaced apart relationship.

4. A garment as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by the line of opening extending the length of the garment.

5. A garment comprising a front section having vertical side edges, first and second rear sections engaged to said front sections along first and second side seams, respectively, said first and second rear sections along their opposite edges being free to define a rear line of opening for said garment, extending the length thereof, a fastener element mounted on said first rear section adjacent its free edge, a first cooperating fastener member carried on said first rear section adjacent to, and rear- Wardly of, the seam between said first rear section and the front section, and at least one second cooperating fastener member mounted on said front section adjacent the seam between same and the second rear section, said first and second cooperating fastener members being presented outwardly for selected engagement by said fastener element for respectively maintaining said rear line of opening in open and closed relationship.

6. A garment as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by said first rear section being of relatively greater width than said second rear section for overlying relationship to the same when the garment is in closed condition, in which state the line of opening will be obscured.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,051,444 Haister Aug. 18, 1936 2,517,046 Spengler Aug. 1, 1950 2,643,386 Wyner et a1. June 30, 1953 2,686,914 Weiser Aug. 24, 1954 2,807,022 Bonanni Sept. 24, 1957 

1. A GARMENT COMPRISING A FRONT SECTION HAVING VERTICAL SIDE EDGES, FIRST AND SECOND REAR SECTIONS ENGAGED TO SAID FRONT SECTION ALONG OPPOSITE SIDE EDGES THEREOF, SAID FIRST AND SECOND REAR SECTIONS DEFINING A REAR LINE OF OPENING, A FASTENER ELEMENT MOUNTED ON SAID FIRST REAR SECTION PROXIMATE THE REAR LINE OF OPENING, A FIRST COOPERATING FASTENER MEMBER CARRIED ON SAID FIRST REAR SECTION SPACEDLY FROM SAID FASTENER ELEMENT AND IN THE REGION PROXIMATE THE FRONT SECTION, AND AT LEAST ONE SECOND COOPERATING FASTENER MEMBER MOUNTED ON SAID FRONT SECTION PROXIMATE SAID SECOND REAR SECTION, SAID FIRST AND SECOND COOPERATING FASTENER MEMBERS BEING PRESENTED OUTWARDLY FOR SELECTED ENGAGEMENT BY SAID FASTENER ELEMENT FOR RESPECTIVELY MAINTAINING SAID REAR LINE OF OPENING IN OPEN AND CLOSED CONDITION. 